Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

कौस्तुभोद्भूषितोरस्क पूतनाधातुशोषण । रक्षरक्ष जगद्रक्षामणे नरकहारक

Transliteration

kaustubhodbhūṣitoraska pūtanādhātuśoṣaṇa | rakṣarakṣa jagadrakṣāmaṇe narakahāraka

Translation

Ô Toi dont la poitrine est ornée du joyau Kaustubha ; ô Toi qui as tari le souffle vital de Pūtanā—protège, protège ! Ô gemme précieuse, gardien du monde ; ô destructeur de Naraka.

Word by Word

• कौस्तुभ: of the Kaustubha jewel
• कौस्तुभ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौस्तुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — 'कौस्तुभस्य' (elliptic in compound)

• उद्भूषित: adorned
• उद्भूषित: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूष् (धातु) + उत्- (उपसर्ग) → उद्भूषित (कृदन्त, क्त/PPP)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि विशेषण

• उरस्क: O one with a chest
• उरस्क: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उरस् (प्रातिपदिक) + क (तद्धित) → उरस्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• पूतनाधातुशोषण: O absorber of Pūtanā’s vital essence
• पूतनाधातुशोषण: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूतना (प्रातिपदिक) + धातु (प्रातिपदिक) + शोषण (शुष् धातु, ल्युट्-प्रत्यय/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः— 'पूतनायाः धातूनां शोषणः'

• रक्ष: protect
• रक्ष: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• रक्ष: protect (again)
• रक्ष: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (emphatic repetition)

• जगत्: of the world
• जगत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — 'जगतः' (in compound)

• रक्षामणे: O jewel of protection
• रक्षामणे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षा (प्रातिपदिक) + मणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः— 'रक्षायाः मणिः' / 'रक्षामणिः'

• नरकहारक: O remover of hell
• नरकहारक: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक) + हारक (हृ धातु से— 'हरति' इति; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः— 'नरकस्य हारकः'

Speaker

Vyāsa (deduced from Adhyāya context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Viśveśvara-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee offers fervent stuti to Viṣṇu: the Lord’s chest gleams with Kaustubha; the memory of Pūtanā’s defeat is evoked as a protective, demon-destroying power; the devotee’s hands are folded in urgent prayer.

Characters & Entities

• Kaustubha
• Pūtanā
• Naraka (Narakāsura/hell, contextually)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembering the Lord’s saving acts becomes a direct prayer for protection; divine grace removes both worldly danger and the ‘hell’ of suffering born of adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī remains the overarching setting in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa; this verse is primarily a protective invocation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The repeated ‘rakṣa rakṣa’ indicates a protective prayer to be recited (japa) in times of fear or as daily devotion.